What You Need To Know About Candida

I’ve heard people talk about candida as if its a fad – I recently read an article mocking candida as an illness that “only the rich get”. I have to tell you… It is very much real and very common!

What is candida?

First off, everyone one has this yeast already in our bodies – in fact we need this “bad bacteria” yeast to live as much as we need the “good bacteria”. The problem occurs when you have an overgrowth of bad bacteria and a lack of the good, and this can lead to some serious life long problems if its not treated in a timely manner and properly.

What causes candida?

There are two big factors that contribute to candida overgrowth and both are being a growing concern: high carbohydrate diets and over prescribed antibiotics.

Carbs: You may have heard that sugar feeds the bacteria and its true, so take it easy on the sandwiches, Starbucks lattes, processed food and sweets (including fruit and some veggies even!) – at least for now. Its easy to get carried away and eat too much sugar in a day but try to remain conscious of it and ready the nutrition labels as often as you can.

Antibiotics: I’m still surprised how antibiotics seem to be given out as if they’re candy here in the United States. I know in other countries (such as Russia, where I’m originally from), they are far more conservative with these drugs. For one reason or another, almost every traditional medical doctor I’ve seen as found a reason to push them on me. Here’s something ironic about it: it often makes your illness and symptoms worse!

If you don’t already know, I have been struggling with acne most of my life and of course I tried going to see a dermatologist in the hopes that he could give me some pills to finally help me regain control over my terrible skin. I took antibiotics for as long as 6 (possibly more!) months at a time with terrible nausea and no avail (if I did see any improvement it would just come back when I stopped taking the pills). Now, years later, I learn that this can actually make your skin much worse as antibiotics kill both good and bad bacteria and just having yogurt or taking a standard probiotic was not going to do much to make up the damage.

Just trust me on this one, taking a pill to treat the symptoms is not the solution!
If there is something off in our body, it will manifest itself and hopefully, we will observe, listen and address the concern. A healthy body does not hold onto weight or break out.
Please, I sincerely urge you to get to the root of the problem and treat it with a holistic approach opposed to treating symptoms.

If you believe you ma have candida, I would recommend you see your holistic doctor and have him run the proper blood work to confirm the diagnosis and the severity.I have heard of at home tests and things but I really prefer to see a trusted doctor personally. If it doesn’t show up in your labs, its possible you may still have it so if you’re willing to give the the solution a try, go for it! It can only help since we’re treating this naturally.

Get Angry about KILLING candida

If you have it then I know you want to kill and destroy it as badly as I did; get revenge on it for making you feel terrible, as if its a parasite sucking the life out of you – show no mercyyy!
I want you to keep that mentality because the next few days, weeks or maybe months, can prove to be a challenge.
The biggest thing is to eat a low carb/no carb diet giving your body the chance to heal itself over this time.

Personally, I did a cleanse program with meal replacement shakes and that followed the food elimination diet as well as low carb. Additionally, I took a candida killing supplement and strong probiotics. It was intended for 28 days but I only did it for two weeks because I didn’t have high numbers on my labs.

I definitely felt better though it was a tough two weeks for me. The length and approach is something that varies from person to person which is why I suggest you talk to your doctor however if prefer you could also start off by just eating a low carb diet and adding in lots of probiotics (I currently use Garden of Life’s Primal Defense).

Candida or not, I’m positive you will feel better!

Do you have candida? How are you treating it? Share your story with me!

I am on a mission to share my obsession with "green" beauty, wellness and living an overall healthy and eco-conscious lifestyle. I suffered from acne for years until I was diagnosed with PCOS (hormone disorder) and learned how to manage it. As the buyer at luxury, eco department store Lux & Eco, I come across so many amazing brands and products that I am excited to share with you!